About half an hour later, the red light above the operating room door went out.
The door was pushed open, and a group of doctors and nurses emerged, surrounding a mobile hospital bed.
The crowd in the waiting area immediately swarmed forward.
Fang Rong, Yang Fan, Xia Xiaomin, and the others squeezed to the front to ask the lead doctor about the situation.
The head surgeon, Dr. Jiang, removed his mask and replied, "The surgery was a complete success. We removed the lesion cleanly, and her vital signs were stable throughout the procedure. There were no complications. The anesthesia hasnāt fully worn off yet. Weāll take her back to her room to rest and be observed."
"Thatās wonderful!"
"Thank you, Doctor~"
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Then, they all naturally gathered on either side of the bed, surrounding it as they followed the medical staff toward the patient room.
Although the patient room was spaciousāa high-quality private roomāit suddenly felt crowded with over a dozen people pouring in, plus the medical staff.
As the youngest junior brother, Yang Qi tactfully avoided squeezing inside and chose to wait at the doorway.
While he waited, a petite female doctor, just over five feet three, wearing glasses and looking somewhat weary, quickly approached from down the hall.
She glanced at Yang Qi standing outside the door and commented casually, "What are you standing out here for?"
Then, she walked into the room.
"Everyone, please make some space. Donāt crowd so tightly. We need room for ventilation and for work."
āThat voice...ā
Yang Qi remembered.
It was the middle-aged womanās voice from the phone call earlierāTeacher Songās daughter, He Yuanās mother, Zhang Liping.
Heād overheard his senior sister Fang Rong and the others chatting while they waited. They said that when Teacher Song was younger, she had been completely absorbed in her career, spending years on the front lines of fieldwork. She hadnāt paid much attention to her family, especially her only daughter, Zhang Liping, which led to a strained relationship in the early years.
It wasnāt until Zhang Liping went through a failed marriage and Teacher Song gradually retired from fieldwork that the two slowly began to understand each other, and their relationship started to improve.
Seeing Zhang Liping go in, Yang Qi decisively followed her into the room, positioning himself near the back.
Inside the room, the attending physician, Director Jiang, was giving Fang Rong, Xia Xiaomin, and the others a detailed explanation of post-operative care, possible reactions, and key points for the next steps in her nursing.
Fang Rong and the others listened intently, occasionally interjecting with questions about specific details.
Wei Zhongting and a few other senior brothers standing further back also listened closely.
Once Director Jiang had finished his instructions and added a few more reminders, he left with the other medical staff.
As a family member, Zhang Liping looked at the crowd around the bed and said, "The surgery went smoothly, so you can all stop worrying. Momās anesthesia hasnāt worn off completely, and she needs to rest quietly. You all have work to get back to, so you should go. The nurses and I can handle things here."
"Iām on my annual leave for the next few days, so I donāt have anything else to do. Iāll stay and lend a hand," Fang Rong immediately said with a smile.
"Thatās right, thereās no rush. Weāll wait for Teacher to wake up and say a few words before we go."
Xia Xiaomin chimed in, then remembered something. "Oh, right, Teacher will probably be hungry when she wakes up, but she can only have liquid food after surgery. Iāll go to the cafeteria and see if they have anything suitable."
"Senior Sister, let me go buy it," Yang Qi immediately stepped forward and volunteered.
"Our youngest brother can just stay here and talk with Teacher. Iāll take care of errands like this," Xia Xiaomin said with a smile, waving her hand dismissively.
"Senior Sister, I can talk to her when I get back. Please, let me run the errand."
Yang Qi smiled too, saying half-jokingly, "Itās not every day I get a chance to show what I can do. Come on, senior brothers and sisters, indulge me!"
"Haha, alright, alright. Weāll give our youngest brother a chance to shine."
Xia Xiaomin was amused, and the others chuckled as well, lightening the atmosphere considerably.
Without further delay, Yang Qi quickly left the room.
He headed straight for the hospitalās nutritional cafeteria, bought a serving of freshly made, lukewarm congee, and had it packed in a thermal food container.
On his way back to the room, Yang Qi deliberately chose a quiet corner of a hallway that was less crowded and out of sight of the main surveillance cameras.
He quickly opened the lid of the food container and took out the remaining Nourishing Essence Pill from his Hundred Pouches Belt.
He channeled his Magical Power to envelop the pill, instantly catalyzing it and stirring it evenly into the warm congee.
The pill dissolved into the congee instantly, leaving no trace.
But in that instant, the congeeās aroma seemed to double in purity, becoming even more enticing. There was also a new, faint, and exceptionally refined fragrance of herbs and wood.
The scent was so faint that an ordinary person would have a hard time noticing it; they would only feel that the congee smelled exceptionally "pleasant."
Yang Qi closed the lid, nodded in satisfaction, and carried the container back to the room.
Only a few women remained in the room, including Fang Rong, Xia Xiaomin, and Zhang Liping.
The senior brothers, like Yang Fan and Wei Zhongting, were standing outside the room, talking in low voices.
Yang Qi greeted them at the door and walked in carrying the congee.
Song Chunfang was awake in bed. Although her face was still pale and her gaze a bit unfocused, she was conscious.
She was leaning weakly against the raised head of the bed. Seeing Yang Qi enter, a trace of surprise and warmth appeared in her eyes as she spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Xiaoqi... what are you doing here...?"
"Teacher, I happened to be in the Provincial Capital for a business trip. When I heard you were in the hospital, I rushed right over."
Yang Qi walked to her bedside and said with a smile, "You just got out of surgery, so you need to replenish your energy. Here, have some congee."
As he spoke, he opened the food container.
The moment the lid was lifted, a mixed aroma of rice and a faint, clean scent of herbs wafted out.
"Let me feed her."
Fang Rong took the container and a small spoon. As she scooped up some congee and brought it to Song Chunfangās lips, she caught a whiff of the special fragrance and couldnāt help but blurt out.
"This congee smells amazing. The cafeteria did a good job with it today."